Pinnacle work rules

[bertengineer]

Thanks, guys. Especially DONDK. I really need the info before I make a life-changing decision, and it seems like I'm better off staying at Comair for a while.

If you were thinking of coming for the "Quick Upgrade" then get in line for terminal reserve. The guys that are senior to you that are FO's will be ahead of you when they upgrade. Some are waiting to be able to hold a line as soon as they finish upgrade. A lot of the Gulfstream guys are getting thier flight time now and are upgrading, plus we lowered the mins.

 

[Tram]

The grass is always greener..

I came to 9E from a jewel of an airline.. Lots of guys who are throwin' fits over here, need to go work somewhere worse than 9E and see what that is like..

I've done the no contract, no union thing..

I've only been flying for 9E for 2 months and it hasn't been completely horrible.. However, they work the balls right off the captains..

Depends on what you are looking to get out of an airline..

I came to 9E for two reasons..

1.) the base
2.) the upgrade

I mean, I go have gone to a Republic, Chautauqua, Eagle, etc..

However, I would have to commute to each of those.. 12 days min off a month? Yeh, and then deal with commuting?

Commuting blows..

 

[Speedbird34]

Congrats Tram, Are you based in MSP. By the way my W2 has always showed 59K and I am a reserve captain 2.5 years plus.
If I feel life is not that bad and I can still be selective about what major airline I shall work for, Then it can not be such a bad place to work. You get extended but then you are entitled to compensation days. I have had as much as 18 days off a month using my comp days.
Pinnacle is not that diffrent from any other regional.
I live in base and totally enjoy my co workers. Great people and some incredible base management espercially at MSP.
If you can not be happy on $10 you will not be happy on $100.
I say come here , get a quick upgrade, make some money and pay off your flight debts.
Enjoy life

 

[bluefishbeagle]

Congrats Tram, Are you based in MSP. By the way my W2 has always showed 59K and I am a reserve captain 2.5 years plus.
If I feel life is not that bad and I can still be selective about what major airline I shall work for, Then it can not be such a bad place to work. You get extended but then you are entitled to compensation days. I have had as much as 18 days off a month using my comp days.

18 days off with comp days? Doesn't that mean that you worked off days in other months? Where is the gain?

Pinnacle is not that diffrent from any other regional.
I live in base and totally enjoy my co workers. Great people and some incredible base management espercially at MSP..

Nobody's knocking Pinnacle employee's, base management at MSP is another story though.

If you can not be happy on $10 you will not be happy on $100..

If you are happy on $10 don't say it outloud or soon you will find yourself trying to be happy on $5. Management will of course tell you how lucky you are to be flying their shinny new jets.

I say come here , get a quick upgrade, make some money and pay off your flight debts.
Enjoy life

Yeah don't worry about trying to get ahead, eat drink and be happy and move on, while management is laughing all the way to the bank.

To all: Selling yourself short in any career choice is a sure way or being short on money later. All you need now may be only, suds, duds, and putang but some day it will be, denist bills, tennis shoes, and grocery money for a family of four.

 

[dondk]

As I mentioned... IF you live in domicile it CAN be quite nice.

those 18 days off with comp days.. how long did you have to wait to get all the comp days? I would guess more than a month or two

59K and 2.5 years is about right for a reserve... At 6 years I average 85K and 16 days off. It is all relative, but then I spent 3 years in the right seat so my average over the last 6 years still isn't 50K...

MSP base management...

I have to go here.. sorry....

This is the manager that fired a guy because his doctors note was not in english. This is also a guy who wrote up a Captain and stated he was mentally unstable because he has a few lates, sick 4 times, 1 miss trip and a few other BS items.. the pilot had his medical taken away because of the letter from this manager and just recently got it back.
this is also the same manager that will issue discipline just to teach a lesson. While the other's will bring the pilot in and chat with them.
This is the same manager that called a pilot on his cell during a turn and said "by the way, I will be suspending you when you get back"
finally one of my favorites... he will hang out at a gate and see what time you show to the gate. If you are not there by the FOM time you will get disciplined.

Don't get me wrong... there are worse managers to be had, but this one tends to take it too far. I have seen more LOW for such BS that don't occur in the other domiciles.

there are WORSE regionals... that is without a doubt. Although for a 1400+ pilot, 4 domicile, 140ish jet company, you SHOULD expect better. That is where Pinnacle lacks...

 

[bluefishbeagle]

dondk,.....

thanks for going "there". He is an idiot, and a nothing in the world of aviation. His name does not matter but what does matter is the mentality of airline management that allows and promotes such a sack of shxt.

Nothing will change until we get out the baseball bats and work on some kneecaps. Is this a threat, no just venting.:uzi:

 

[Inconceivable]

the same one whose kid died of cancer (GB), or is it another lil' hitler?

 

[PCL_128]

Congrats Tram, Are you based in MSP. By the way my W2 has always showed 59K and I am a reserve captain 2.5 years plus.

Excuse me, but are you actually trying to say that $59k is a good salary for a jet Captain at an airline that pulls in $1 billion in annual revenue? Please tell me that you aren't this dense.

I have had as much as 18 days off a month using my comp days.

The only time you get a comp day from an extension is if you get extended into a day off. If you were scheduled to finish your day at 12 noon but get extended till 10pm, then you'll get a little extra cash, but no extra time off. Besides, as one of the previous posters stated, if you're getting comp days, that just means that you got screwed out of your days off in previous months. You're still only getting 10 days off a month.

Pinnacle is not that diffrent from any other regional.

Do you live under a rock? PCL is worse than almost every unionized regional except Mesa. Stop trying to make excuses for the scumbag company that's abusing you. This is like battered wife syndrome.

Great people and some incredible base management espercially at MSP.

Gary B. should be castrated so he can't spread his own little breed of fascism to the next generation. Pinnacle management from the bottom to the top is heartless and amoral.

I say come here , get a quick upgrade, make some money and pay off your flight debts.
Enjoy life

And I say avoid Pinnacle like the plague that it is. Go to a real airline like ExpressJet. Upgrades are still quick, and you'll be treated like a human being instead of like a worthless piece of &^%$. Don't subject yourself to Phildo and his minions.

 

[Inconceivable]

I prefer "Phillatio"--'cause he sucks.

 

[PinnacleDude]

I really enjoy the pilots I fly with. Great folks. With that said, if you want to go someplace to make you appreciate your next job, Pinnacle is it! The only problem is that there are plenty of folks that have run afoul of management and have had trouble moving on. Enjoy the new sick call policy. Anybody sick for more than 6 days in a rolling 12-month period can be terminated.

 

[XJohXJ]

Anybody sick for more than 6 days in a rolling 12-month period can be terminated.

What? Is that really true? If so, it can't possibly be legal. That's one of the most appalling policies I have heard yet.

 

[TurboAWD]

Well it's true that it is company policy.

It is probably NOT true that they could actually get away with firing someone.

These guys couldn't "manage" their way out of a wet paper bag.

Turbo

 

[dondk]

Well, it is a true policy...
have they fired someone for being sick? YES...
three cases that I know of...

now they have become smarter (if that is possible). They don't terminate on being sick, the terminate on the abuse or failure to follow the policy. Eventually someone will fail to get the Doc note, or has a bogus Doc note or something else fishy and that is when they will win. All they need is to get ONE person and the solidify the policy.

I know many guys who were burned by a management person when a decent company called for a reference. They call it "honesty", I would call it pilot retention program.

this is also a company that has a bereavement policy that is mind blowing. One base in particular follows it to the letter...
If someone dies and you need the leave... you have to PROVE they died.. no, it is not BS... and they wonder why people are leaving in droves

 

[Tram]

Congrats Tram, Are you based in MSP.

Thanks..

Nah, I'm MEM based..